Isaah Yeo's future at the Penrith Panthers is becoming clearer as the Panthers star nears a new deal with the club.
Yeo is off-contract at the end of the 2027 season and will become a free agent come November 1st if the club can't sign the Panthers co-captain. However, Yeo has expressed his desire to stay at the Panthers rather than test his value on the open market.
The 31-year-old has spent his entire 12-year NRL career at the Penrith Panthers, making his debut for the side in 2014. Yeo has become an integral part of the Penrith system and has led the side as co-captain since 2021.
As Yeo turns 32 this year, this will most likely be his last major contract in the NRL, making the negotiations significant to both the club and the player.
The Panthers lock has been sidelined due to a pectoral injury in their Round 23 clash against the New Zealand Warriors. With his time away, he has used the space to work towards his future and sit down with Penrith officials.
According to the forward, discussions have been promising.
“There have certainly been talks, and they've all been really positive”, Yeo said per AAP.
“That would be nice to get that and get back playing as well.
“This has obviously given me a bit of time to get that all nutted out
“It would be nice to get back to playing and have that all sorted as well.”
Yeo has made it clear that his immediate priority coming back from his injury is Penrith's run to the trophy. The lock was named on the extended bench for their Round 27 clash against the West Tigers. However, the club is being extremely cautious about playing him if he's not needed. They will look to bring him on for a sudden-death final and give the star as much time to get as fit as possible.
He avoided surgery as he fights to play through the finals series.
If Yeo can make a successful return to the NRL for finals, the international stage may be in reach for the forward.
Australia's Rugby League World Cup campaign begins on October 15 against New Zealand, and Yeo has refused to rule himself out of the Kangaroos squad.
“If I get back out on the field and I can perform, then obviously I would still put my hand up for the World Cup and go from there,” Yeo said.
“Obviously that's a conversation for down the track. I'm just trying to get back for Penrith at the moment and see how we go from there.”
